spiritual food for thought

Menu

Donald Trump

Our nation is extremely divided along many lines: economically, politically, socially, in morals and loads more. And tomorrow’s Inauguration is a reflection of these divisions. I’ve been thinking and praying about this for quite some time, asking God for perspective, wisdom and compassion. In my prayers, I was reminded of the bloody transition in 2 Samuel from the house of Saul to David. This transition took many years and was not just a little tulmutuous. Then I also remembered reading Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC. I was deeply moved by his words & would strongly encourage you to read this

Seems like today will be a significant day for the political scenario in the US. It feels like our nation has been through a divisive meat grinder & it will be nice to have some reprieve from the political adds on tv, at a minimum. While you & I are likely tired of the disrespectful tone this election has evoked throughout our nation, may we never grow weary of praying for our leaders, no matter who wins this presidential election. Here are three verses you might consider praying everyday for our leaders, regardless if they’re male or female:

1 Timothy 2:1-2, “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He wishes.”

1 Samuel 10:6, “Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you mightily, and you shall prophesy with them and be changed into another man.”

These are three great verses to pray everyday for our leaders! Please consider sending this blog to three people who will consider praying these verses for our leaders!

Clearly, this year’s presidential race has generated heaps of attention, angst, journalism opportunities and raised eyebrows. The tumultuous run-offs between Ted Cruz versus Donald Trump & Hillary Clinton versus Bernie Sanders have encouraged me to pray more than I ever have for this year’s election.

Regardless of your political persuasions, let’s be sure that we keep our prayer level higher than our worry level. Let’s remember that God is in control more than any man or woman. Let’s be certain that we do three things that mark us as followers of Jesus, based on John 13:35:

love God

love people

love ourselves

Loving well is letting the Holy Spirit pour God’s love into our hearts, moment by moment & day by day 🙂

All the while these big events are happening throughout the world, here in Denver we have a snow day, so my kids are enjoying sledding and the boon of some extra free time. Personally, I like the shoveling exercise & the opportunity to reflect upon both big and small events.

Whatever is happening for you today, let’s remain committed to pray for the community in which we live, the city / town where we work & our nation. Let’s not be afraid of the future and let’s keep our focus and confidence in our all-knowing and all-powerful God, who loves us far more than we could grasp with our finite minds.

Our heavenly Father demonstrated the immensity of His love for us by sending His only Son in the flesh to live out the human experience, expressing genuine love throughout His life.

Politics is a hot spot for many people. Everyone seems to get really lit up about who to vote for, what the candidates say or don’t say, the future of our country, moral underpinnings & HEAPS more. For his part, Donald Trump, has certainly escalated the emotional tone & conflict potential for our upcoming national election.
My concern for those of us who follow Jesus has many facets:

I’m concerned that we will watch & listen to the candidates more than we pray for the election

I’m concerned that we allow politics to divide us more than we allow Jesus’ love to unite us

I’m concerned that we are deceived to think that human politics can resolve the broken & fallen nature of the human heart

Whether you like Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Carson, Rubio, Cruz, Bernie or whoever, let’s make the commitment to pray for our country & its leadership more than we worry or complain 🙂